As James Cook is a tertiary centre for many services, we also maintain strong links with palliative care teams and hospices in Darlington, Stockton on Tees and Hartlepool, and further afield.
We provide specialist advice and support on the management of physical, psychological, social and spiritual problems related to advanced disease in adult patients in any department. We support outpatients and inpatients. Our involvement is not just with the patient, but also the family and others close to them. However, please note that we will only discuss specific issues of the patient’s case with family or carers if the patient has given consent for this.
Sometimes our involvement is short-term to deal with a specific problem. Other times there may be a more complex situation and we work alongside the host team caring for the patient providing specialist advice and support during much of the patient’s hospital stay. Some patients with complex needs have many hospital admissions and we aim to provide some continuity of specialist input throughout this period.
We work with professional colleagues to give advice, support and guidance on the management of patients under their care. We are involved in teaching a range of undergraduate and postgraduate professionals, and have an ongoing audit programme.
Who do we work with
Specialist palliative care often involves complex situations and so as well as our involvement with the patient and their family, we also work with a whole range of fellow professionals as the situation demands. These include:
- Hospital-based medical and nursing staff in all adult departments.
- Allied health professionals working in any ward and department, for example physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, psychologists, radiographers, chaplaincy team members and social workers.
- Community-based professionals including GPs, district nurses, community matrons, community hospital teams and nursing care home teams.
- Other specialist palliative care professionals including those in acute and community based teams across the North of England, and colleagues in the hospices of Teesside and beyond.
- Out of hours GP and nursing services, palliative care support services and the ambulance services.
- Volunteers and voluntary organisations.
- Colleagues from other specialist services including mental health care trusts and learning disabilities teams.
The team
We are a small team of medical, nursing and support staff with especially close links to the specialist palliative care occupational therapists.
Contact details
The service is available seven days a week from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Outside these hours, patients should contact their GP or community nurse.
Office base and telephone numbers:
Specialist Palliative Care Team
The James Cook University Hospital
Marton Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 3BW
- Macmillan specialist nurses (answerphones): 01642 854787 / 854718
- Team co-ordinator (answerphone): 01642 854938
- Fax: 01642 282721
- Palliative care occupational therapy team: 01642 282654
How to be referred
Any member of the ward or outpatient team who is involved in your care can arrange for you to be seen by a member of the team, but it is important that you have agreed to the referral being made.
You can also refer yourself, or ask a member of your family to do this on your behalf, if you feel that you would benefit from our support.